Ruled and Inhabited by the Best

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts……let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:15,16 (New International Version)

Have you ever been sandwiched between passages of Scripture? Last night a friend of mine readily reminded me of Philippians 4:8,9 with its list of things to think on….that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. I was not surprised by her choice of verses nor of her continued place as a truth teller in my life! This morning, God is sandwiching me between that passage and the entire third chapter of Colossians. They are like bookends for my soul!

At times when I feel like the emotional roller coaster will never end, when I wrongly believe the thought patterns will always have the upper hand, when I just plain want to give up, God knows better and does better. He is placing huge billboards along the highway of my mind and adding neon lights so that I will not miss what He is telling me. In short, the message is this, “Pam, think on the right things. Let My peace rule and My word dwell in you.” I have heard it said that repetition is the best teacher and I am finding that to be true! Every time I come to the difficult points God keeps repeating the same thing. He is going to make sure I eventually get it! While I sometimes have to laugh at my own slowness in receiving His words, He is determined and persistent in offering them. That in itself strengthens me.

I am seeing two fertile truths in today’s verses that are the “how to” of changing my thought processes and hence my whole demeanor. Letting the peace of Christ rule in my heart means I let it be my umpire and guide. It will let me know what is safe and what is dangerous to think on. I will do well to let His peace take over and be my major influence. The repercussions of that decision will be astounding.

Letting His word dwell in me richly means I am letting what He says make itself at home in me. In other words, it gets free run of the place! His word is meant to take precedence over everything else. It is time I started allowing it to redecorate my soul……bringing in what is good and getting rid of what is harmful or unnecessary. This is going to require the memorizing of Scripture passages (something I have been lax in over the years). I plan to start with this third chapter of Colossians. At one verse a day I will have it “living in me” in its entirety in less than a month. I invite others to join me if they so desire. May we each be ruled and inhabited by His peace and His word.

Father, I stand in awe of You this morning. You have made Your message clear to me and by Your grace I receive it. Amen.